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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · tear · current · land · sharp · field · face · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. land — to come down
  4. face — to confront
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. face — part of the head
  9. current — electric
  10. land — a country
  11. sharp — clever
  12. land — ground
  13. field — a subject
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. current — happening now
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. tear — to rip
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. tear — from crying
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com